The men’s and women’s tennis teams are going to have a week full of traveling and competition over spring break when the Panthers travel south to Flagler University in Saint Augustine, Fla.

On their way in to the great state of oranges and palm trees, they will head to Murray State University March 9 to catch a conference match-up before OVC competition actually begins.

Head coach Brian Holzgrafe set up the trip with a friend and former tennis doubles partner Alan Kramer, who is the athletic director and head tennis coach for Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.

They both helped set up the trip and provided the teams with places to stay with access to tennis courts.

The Panthers will face Wayne State University, the University of Indianapolis, Murray State, and a junior college which Holzgrafe calls “one of the best in the country,” Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Georgia.

With the budget cuts in Eastern’s athletic department, there isn’t much money left over for the lesser-known sports, and Holzgrafe is navigating into unfamiliar territory.

In his days at Saint Louis University, spring training sites were in states like California, Colorado or Arizona.

“We had our private jet.” Holzgrafe said.

“Well, it’s Conference USA.”

In turning down the head coaching job at Saint Louis and accepting the job at Eastern, Holzgrafe has been able to find “the most efficient way” of doing things.

But he feels that with this philosophy, it helps the players on his team “set appreciation” levels that are quite admirable when he compares the players from the two schools.

With C-USA ties, Holzgrafe said that he could have scheduled some Division I schools for the spring training break, but said that it wouldn’t have done much good because of the difference in talent level.

“We could play some Division I schools, but we would not get as much out of it,” Holzgrafe said. “At least it’s competition.”